*Pages 1--2 from  Microsoft Word - 6027.doc*
 NEWS  News  media  Information  202  /  418-  0500  TTY  202  /  418-  2555  Fax-  On-  Demand  202  /  418-  2830  Internet:  http://  www.  fcc.  gov  ftp.  fcc.  gov  Federal  Communications  Commission  445  12  th  Street,  S.  W.  Washington,  D.  C.  20554  This  is  an  unofficial  announcement  of  Commission  action.  Release  of  the  full  text  of  a  Commission  order  constitutes  official  action.  See  MCI  v.  FCC.  515  F  2d  385  (D.  C.  Circ  1974). 
 FOR  IMMEDIATE  RELEASE:  News  Media  Contacts: 
 January  12,  2001  Linda  Paris  at  (202)  418-  7121 
 e-  mail:  lparis@  fcc.  gov 
 David  Fiske  at  (202)  418-  0513 
 e-  mail:  dfiske@  fcc.  gov 


 CHAIRMAN  WILLIAM  E.  KENNARD  ANNOUNCES  RESIGNATION  EFFECTIVE  JAN.  19 


 “BROADBAND  CHAIRMAN”  PROMOTED  COMPETITION,  ACCESS,  AND  GREATER  CONSUMER  CHOICE 
 Washington,  DC  –  Today  FCC  Chairman  William  E.  Kennard  announced  his  resignation  from  the  Federal 
 Communications  Commission,  effective  January  19,  2001.  The  Chairman  said  he  leaves  the  office  with 
 great  pride  in  the  FCC’s  accomplishments  and  with  deep  gratitude  for  having  had  an  opportunity  to  serve  the 
 American  public. 


 Chairman  Kennard  presided  over  the  FCC  during  a  momentous  time  in  the  agency’s  history,  as  the 
 FCC  implemented  historic  legislation  to  bring  competition  to  communications  markets.  During  his  three-year 
 tenure,  Chairman  Kennard  succeeded  in  promoting  competition  and  consumer  choice  in  the 
 telecommunications  marketplace;  encouraging  the  rollout  of  broadband  and  digital  technologies;  expanding 
 access  to  technology  for  all  Americans;  and  streamlining  and  revamping  the  Commission  for  the  Digital  Age. 


 Chairman  Kennard  has  implemented  the  1996  Telecommunications  Act  to  benefit  consumers  and  to 
 create  a  market  where  “monopoly  is  ended,  innovation  and  entrepreneurship  are  cherished,  and  consumers 
 have  competitive  choice.”  As  such  he  reduced  telephone  rates  domestically  and  internationally,  and 
 aggressively  promoted  the  benefits  of  competition  and  deregulation  the  world  over.  For  his  efforts,  Kennard 
 has  been  labeled  the  “Broadband  Chairman”  and  a  “Consumer  Champion  for  the  Digital  Age.” 


 In  addition,  the  Chairman  made  bridging  the  Digital  Divide  a  top  priority.  During  his  tenure,  the 
 FCC  successfully  implemented  the  E-  Rate  program,  which  connected  95%  of  the  nation’s  schools  and  over 
 one  million  classrooms  to  the  Internet.  Chairman  Kennard  also  worked  to  expand  access  to  all  Americans, 
 including  minorities,  Native  Americans,  persons  with  disabilities,  and  the  disadvantaged  in  rural  and  remote 
 areas.  His  achievements  include  establishing  a  Disabilities  Rights  Office  at  the  FCC,  bringing  telephone 
 service  to  over  one  million  new  low-  income  Native  Americans  on  tribal  lands,  and  creating  a  new  low-  power 
 radio  service  for  school,  church,  and  community  use. 


 “We  must  bring  the  benefits  of  the  Digital  Age  to  all  Americans,”  said  Kennard.  “From  the  business 
 districts  to  the  barrios;  from  those  with  every  advantage  to  those  with  disabilities;  from  the  young  to  the  old; 
 from  suburban  enclaves  to  the  rural  heartland.” 


 In  the  letter  of  resignation  to  President  Clinton,  Kennard  wrote,  “I  feel  very  privileged  that  I  was  able 
 to  serve  as  Chairman  of  the  FCC  at  a  time  when  communications  technologies  are  so  dramatically  changing 
 the  way  the  American  people  live,  work,  and  learn.” 
1
 For  the  next  few  months,  Chairman  Kennard  will  serve  as  a  Senior  Fellow  of  the  Aspen  Institute 
 Communications  and  Society  Program  in  Washington,  D.  C.  There,  he  will  advise  on  leadership, 
 communications  policy,  and  program  activities  and  operations.  He  will  also  become  the  first  chairman  of  the 
 program’s  new  advisory  board. 


 The  Aspen  Institute  is  a  global,  impartial  forum  for  leveraging  the  power  of  leaders  to  improve  the 
 human  condition.  Through  its  seminar  and  policy  programs,  the  Institute  fosters  enlightened,  morally 
 responsible  leadership  and  convenes  leaders  and  policy  makers  to  address  the  foremost  challenges  of  the  new 
 century. 
2